Pirates notebook | Crowd sets single-game attendance record at 93-year-old McKechnie
BRADENTON -- McKechnie Field was rocking Wednesday when the Detroit Tigers rolled into Bradenton. The sellout crowd of 9,018 was the largest in McKechnie Field's 93-year history.
The lone home night game on the spring slate became the fifth sellout in nine home games this spring. A total of 65,431 fans have seen the nine home games in Bradenton. Warm temperatures, a two-time playoff home team in the Pirates and a favorable early slate of road teams has led to big attendance figures so far this March. The record for total number of fans at McKechnie Field is 93,433 and was set in 2013.
If the average of 7,270 fans is maintained over the final six home games, the total mark will be shattered. To tie the 2013 record, a total of 4,667 fans are needed on average during the last six home games. Those six home games feature the Phillies on Friday, the Red Sox on Saturday, the Orioles on March 24, the Braves on March 26, the Blue Jays on March 28 and the Phillies on March 30.
Liriano stunned by nod
For the third time in his career, Francisco Liriano is getting the ball on Opening Day.
Pittsburgh Pirates manager Clint Hurdle named Liriano the club's Opening Day starter following Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Houston Astros.
On Wednesday, Liriano spoke for the first time about the announcement.
"I was kind of surprised, because we have so many good guys here," said Liriano, who signed a three-year, $39 million deal with the Bucs in the offseason. "Whoever was given the ball, I think ... (it's) a good decision."
That top half of the rotation also includes Gerrit Cole and A.J. Burnett.
After Tuesday's game, Hurdle said Cole will pitch the second game followed by Burnett, either Vance Worley or Jeff Locke and then Charlie Morton in the fifth game.
"Frank has earned it in our minds," Hurdle said. "It's good when you've got a number of people that you need to talk about. You need to talk about Cole. You need to talk about Burnett. It's more of the volume of work. When Frank has been healthy, he has been just a very solid anchor in our rotation."
It's the second straight year Liriano was named Pittsburgh's Opening Day starter, marking the first time that has happened for the Bucs since Oliver Perez accomplished the feat in 2005-06.
The Pirates begin their 2015 regular season against the Cincinnati Reds on April 6 at Great American Ball Park.
Since arriving in Pittsburgh ahead of the 2013 season, Liriano has compiled a 23-18 record with a 3.20 earned-run average and 338 strikeouts in 323 1/3 innings pitched.
State of the union
The Major League Baseball players union executive director Tony Clark spoke with the Pirates on Wednesday in his annual tour of spring training and said it was a state-of-the-union address with the players.
"Anything you would have seen in the headlines over the last few months are often topics that we talk about," Clark said. "So whether they are pace of game or instant replay, domestic violence. You name it, that's part of our conversation."
Clark touched on concussions, which have become a hot topic in sports in recent years. "Another program that we are working with Major League Baseball is trying to make sure that we take as many steps as we can to educate guys to put the proper protocols in place and to make sure that the equipment is as safe as it can be," said Clark.
, who played 12 of his 15 MLB seasons with the Detroit Tigers and Arizona Diamondbacks. "Our sport, obviously, is a little bit different than some of the other contact sports. But it still happens. ... Whether you are behind the plate or whether you in the field, whether you are at the plate -- those are all instances where guys have come away with concussions."
This story was originally published March 19, 2015 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Pirates notebook | Crowd sets single-game attendance record at 93-year-old McKechnie."